The discovery of a statue of the “Sphinx” in southern Egypt
The discovery of a statue of the “Sphinx” in southern Egypt
The discovery of a statue of the “Sphinx” in southern Egypt
The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities announced today (Monday) the discovery of a statue of the “Sphinx” and the remains of Claudius’ cabin next to the Dendera Temple in Qena Governorate, in the south of the country.
The Secretary-General of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities, Mostafa Waziri, said, in a statement issued by the ministry, that the discovery was made by the Egyptian archaeological mission from Ain Shams University, headed by Mamdouh El-Damaty, former Minister of Antiquities and Professor of Archeology at Ain Shams University.
He explained that the mission succeeded in discovering the remains of a limestone cabin dating back to the Roman era, during archaeological excavations in the area east of the Dendera Temple in Qena Governorate, in which a temple of the god Horus was built in the Roman era.
For his part, Al-Damati said that the initial examination of the face of the statue indicates that it is likely to belong to Emperor Claudius, who ruled between the years 41 and 54 AD.
He added that the face of the statue is characterized by royal features depicted accurately, and a slight smile appears on its lips, which have two dimples on both ends, and the remains of yellow and red appear on its face, indicating that a painting from the Roman era written in hieroglyphs and demotic was found below the statue.
